Biography

27 April 1932, Kingstree, South Carolina, USA. Having sung in two New York gospel groups, the Manhattans and the Royaltones, Brown made her recording debut on Nomar with All In My Mind. A US Top 20 hit in 1961, this uptown soul ballad was followed by another hit single, Funny. A period at ABC-Paramount then passed before Brown signed to Wand Records and proceeded to make a series of excellent singles. She is best recalled for the US Top 30 hit Oh No Not My Baby (1964), a beautifully written Gerry Goffin and Carole King song that was later covered by Manfred Mann, Rod Stewart and Aretha Franklin. Brown also recorded with Chuck Jackson - their version of Something You Got made the US R&B Top 10 - but her position at Wand was undermined by the companys preoccupation with Dionne Warwick. Releases on a new outlet, Commonwealth United, resulted in two R&B chart entries, including the acclaimed...